The young lady hired me to help her and the young master have an online romance.

Jiang Wan was stunned when she saw those two words.

Is this... a check-up?

She thought for a moment, then deliberately replied with two words:

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Yes~]

After sending the message, I turned off the screen and continued eating.

"Friends?" Shen Che suddenly asked, his tone sounding very casual.

Jiang Wan hummed in agreement, offering no further explanation.

Shen Che's smile faded slightly, and he wisely refrained from pressing the matter further, instead changing the subject to their childhood.

Shen Che recounted an incident where Jiang Wan climbed a tree to pick mulberries but couldn't get down, so she sat on a branch and cried.

He brought the ladder and rescued her.

Jiang Wan then recounted an incident where Shen Che did poorly on an exam and sat outside a shop at the street corner, dawdling and afraid of being scolded when he got home.

After she found out, she used her saved allowance to buy him the most expensive ice cream in the freezer.

The two shared embarrassing stories about each other and burst into laughter.

The seven-year estrangement was thus completely broken down.

Before the laughter had even subsided, Jiang Wan's phone vibrated again.

This time it wasn't a text message—it was a voice call.

The screen displays: "Lie invites you to a voice call."

Jiang Wan's heart skipped a beat when she saw the notification.

Why would Shang Shixu make a voice call?

Jiang Wan looked at Shen Che, "I'm going out to answer a call."

Shen Che nodded, watching Jiang Wan walk out of the private room with her phone, the tenderness in his eyes fading away.

Her sunny and harmless demeanor vanished instantly.

In the corridor, Jiang Wan answered a voice call.

"Huh?" she asked in a low voice.

A cold, sharp voice came from the other end of the phone, "Why are you speaking so softly? Are you afraid someone will hear you?"

Jiang Wan pretended not to notice the man's displeasure and explained, "I'm in a restaurant; of course I can't speak loudly in public."

"Is there something you need?"

Shang Shixu was silent for two seconds.

"I ordered the wrong thing."

Did I click the wrong thing?

Jiang Wan almost burst out laughing.

She composed herself and deliberately said, "Okay, then I'll hang up."

"etc."

"When...when will you finish eating?"

The voice was cold and strained, with an unnatural pause.

Jiang Wan smiled and said, "Soon, what's up?"

"Just asking."

The man's voice returned to its casual tone.

"Okay, I'll eat now."

Jiang Wan hung up the phone after speaking, and her smiling face appeared on the phone screen.

She was absolutely certain—

I'm concerned about the timing of the business.

It's no wonder she calls me "darling," "baby," and "brother" every day in a spoiled way.

If you keep calling her that for a long time, even if you don't like her, your possessiveness will be aroused.

However, the man remained stubborn.

Boston.

The call was disconnected, and Shang Shixu gripped his phone tightly, a cold glint flashing in his sharp phoenix eyes.

It felt like a huge rock was pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

He restrained himself from retaliating.

If he calls again, that "little toad" will definitely think he's jealous.

We absolutely cannot give her that kind of misconception!

Shang Shixu went into the bathroom and washed his face with cold water.

However, the cold water could not extinguish the burning heat in my heart.

*

On the other side, Jiang Wan pushed open the door and returned to the private room.

Shen Che was looking at his phone when he saw her come in. He put the phone back on the table and asked, "Are you alright?"

His gaze swept over them.

"fine."

Jiang Wan sat back down and picked up her chopsticks.

Shen Che narrowed his eyes slightly, a forced smile on his face. "Your suitor?"

Jiang Wan shook her head. "No, a friend."

To be honest, she was a suitor of Shang Shixu.

Although it was on behalf of someone else who went after her.

Shen Che didn't continue the topic, and instead said, "Eat more."

"it is good."

Jiang Wan responded and continued eating with her head down.

After the meal, Shen Che insisted on taking her back to school.

Jiang Wan declined a couple of times, but couldn't refuse, so she got into the nanny van.

His driver and assistant were still sitting in the front row.

The carriage was very quiet.

As the car drove through the night, the neon lights flashed past the windows frame by frame.

Shen Che sat next to her, with a seat between them.

He turned his head to look at Jiang Wan and suddenly spoke.

"Wanwan."

"Um?"

"Let's keep in touch. This is my WeChat ID, please add me."

Jiang Wan met his gentle eyes, smiled, and nodded, "Okay."

The two exchanged contact information.

Half an hour later, the nanny van arrived at the south gate of S University, and Jiang Wan got out of the car.

Shen Che rolled down the car window and watched her go.

"Goodbye, Che-ge~"

Jiang Wan waved to him and turned to enter the campus.

The car behind him started moving, and Shen Che leaned back in his seat, slowly closing his eyes.

Many images flashed through my mind.

It shows both what Jiang Wan looked like as a child and what she looks like now that she's grown up.

*

A classroom at Harvard Business School.

Just after the first class in the morning ended, Pei Heyun patted Shang Shixu on the shoulder from behind.

"Brother Xu, who upset you so early in the morning?"

Shang Shixu leaned back, his cold, handsome eyes gleaming with icy resolve. "No."

"What do you mean, 'nothing'? Your face is all gloomy!" Pei Heyun said speechlessly.

"Is something wrong at the company? Or at home? It couldn't be that Gu Manning made you angry, could it?"

As Pei Heyun spoke, he observed Shang Shixu's micro-expressions. When he mentioned Gu Manning, the other person blinked slightly.

There's no doubt it's Gu Manning.

"Tell me, what did Gu Manning do?"

Shang Shixu suddenly stood up. "Did I say it was her?"

He left the classroom after saying that.

He walked to the outdoor railing, took out his cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

Just as I was about to take out my lighter, a hand reached out from the side.

A young French female teaching assistant.

The woman held a lighter with a flame in her hand, gazing at him with tender affection.

He looked like he wanted to light a cigarette for him.

With a blank expression, Shang Shixu took out a lighter from his pocket and lit the cigarette in his mouth.

The woman's smile froze.

Just as she was about to speak, the other person turned and strode away.

Looking at that powerfully muscular back, she clenched her fists in frustration, cursing silently—

gay!

He's definitely gay!

He must be unable to get aroused by women!

The beautiful teaching assistant stomped her foot and stormed off.

......

Shang Shixu turned a corner and leaned against the deserted corridor.

He took out his phone and opened Facebook.

The dialog box still displayed the message that the voice message had ended.

It's 9 PM in China right now.

Three hours passed, and not a single message came.

Send it or not, it's up to you.

Who cares?

"bite--"

A new message flew in.

Nice Rabbit Squid: [Honey, are you busy?]

Shang Shixu gripped his phone tightly and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

The bluish-white smoke blurred his cold and fierce features.

Fingertips tap on the screen—

Lie: [Dead]

*

S University, girls' dormitory.

Jiang Wan sat in the chair, staring at the two words.

You can feel that strong "resentment" even through the screen.

This kind of air can't be left out; if it's left out for too long, it will cool down.

But you can't just coax them.

Given the other party's arrogant and domineering nature, forcibly coaxing them will only backfire.

The time has come to test Jiang Wan's emotional intelligence.

She put on her headphones, went out onto the balcony, and closed the door.

He cleared his throat and pressed the voice call button.

"Beep—beep—"